The Island
by Phantomhiveheart56
Summary: Ciel Phantomhive is no one special. Then, when his family decides to go on a vacation to an island with the families of his old friends, his world gets turned upside down. The Island is full of dark secrets, and unrecognized love. With heat all around Ciel, it will be easy to get burned.
1. Chapter 1

Ciel ran through the woods.

He had no particular direction. He just ran. Reckless, legs pounding through the underbrush. Mind clear. Petrified.

Shapes zoomed by in the black, dark haze. Bushes, trees, scared animals. Ciel couldn't tell, and he didn't care. His heart thumping, he continued forward in a never-ending dead sprint. Sightless.

A root snagged at his foot and down he went. Pain shot through his body like bolts of electricity.

Get up idiot! Get up now.

Ciel scrambled forward on his hands and knees searching for a place to hide. Soon, he found a hollow below a tree. His breathing was deep and ragged. Just how long had he been running? A long time it seemed.

Ciel tilted his head back and gulped in as much air as he could. Where were the rest? Were they ok? Ciel had no way of knowing because in his frenzy he had lost the three people who meant so much to him.

Find them. You know where to go. Just get there…

Exhausted, but not ready to back down, Ciel got up and continued bolting through the endless forest that surrounded him like a cold blanket. Thorns and brambles cut into his arms but that did not stop him. Nothing could. He would only stop when he knew the people he loved were safe.

Suddenly the trees became thinner and Ciel hit an open area.

In the moonlight, Ciel could barely make out the shape of the shed. Running up beside it, Ciel looked at every starlit scratch and bump and knew he had never been happier to see it.

"Where could everyone be?" Ciel whispered, still trying to catch his breath. He was drenched in sweat and it felt like the world was spinning. He sat down and put his head in his hands, his emotions getting the best of him.

Everyone was still out there.

So Ciel sat, on edge, unmoving, and scared shitless. His fear poured out of him like smoke and his heart made the sound of a mighty drum. If he didn't know better, Ciel would assume the whole forest was alive with the fast but steady tempo of his throbbing organ.

A rustle in the bushes caught Ciel's attention and he turned his head.

A cool, dark voice seeped from the shadows.

"Phantomhive, we've been looking for you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

The bus stopped right across the street from Queen's Guard Academy, or Queen's Guard High School as any normal person would say. But of course, the school had to be a preppy school and be labeled an "academy."

Ciel Phantomhive practically was hanging out the open window. The full bus was hot, smelly, and kids of every shape and size were trying to put as much distance between each other as possible. The June heat was unbearable and the air felt like a frying pan.

_ God it's way too hot. _

The doors opened and everyone rushed to get off the vehicle. He was the first one off, crossed the street, and stepped into the shade of a nearby tree. Immediately, Ciel got stares. He was used to it, of course, but it never felt good to be the center of attention. His eye patch was the cause, and even though he had worn it since he was young, no one was able to get used to it.

Queen's Guard Academy looked as if it was built during the 70's. It was brightly painted blue and orange. It was a big school, with many levels and rooms.

_ Even on the second to last day of school, I can't get used to this torture. _

Ciel was still contemplating this when he heard a big screech from behind him.

"Ciel!"

Without even a second to turn around, Ciel was crushed by his twin sister Elizabeth Phantomhive.

"Why did you walk to quickly away from me Ciel?" Elizabeth whined and put her face in her hands as she climbed off Ciel. "It hurts my feelings when you leave me!" Elizabeth looked like she was about to cry and that made Ciel feel guilty.

"Okay, look Elizabeth-,"

"Ciel, I always tell you to call me Lizzie!"

"Whatever," Ciel sighed. He went through something like this with Elizabeth everyday. "I only went away so quickly because it was hot on the bus, okay?" Ciel patted Lizzie on the head. "I'm sorry."

Lizzie brightened up and smiled in less than a second. She lifted her head up, her perfect blond curls bouncing and her emerald green eyes sparkling. "I understand now Ciel. Come on we should get to class!" Lizzie began to pull Ciel toward the building until they heard a voice from behind.

"Liz, are you coming?"

And like that, it went from the frying pan to the fire.

Isabella Williams was a brunette, skinny, and the biggest backstabber in the whole world. She knew everything about everyone and was the queen of blackmail. She wore her cheerleading uniform even though there was no game. Typical.

Isabella was not alone.

"We're about to go check out Ethan's new mustang." Olivia Johnson had a designer scarf on and ugg boots despite the heat. She fussed over her red hair. "He got it from his uncle who is, like, super rich."

Next to Ashley was Sophia Millar, the "queen bee" at Ciel's school. She was the perfect blonde haired blue eyed beauty; and she hated Ciel. All because he tripped her (by accident!) in the lunch room and she got a stain on her shirt. Come on…

"Yeah Liz, come hang with us," Jacob Davis and Mason Wilson said at the same time.

The group smiled at Lizzie, Ciel's presence not being registered in there limited brains. No one ever seemed to notice him.

At first no one spoke. Lizzie shot Ciel a pleading look.

"Liz, we asked if you were coming…" Sophia stated the obvious.

"Um, yeah, sure," Lizzie said softly. She turned to me and the horrid group froze. "You don't mind, right Ciel?"

Fighting the urge to go run inside and hide under a desk, Ciel turned and painted a smile on his face. "No it's fine, go have fun Elizabeth."

Lizzie smiled, gave Ciel a big hug, and skipped over to Sophia, and without a second glance she left to go see the car.

"Damn right she can come faggot!" Mason hollered at Ciel and threw a pencil at his head. Ciel flinched.

Jacob and Mason turned away laughing. Ciel heard them whisper, "That faggot is so weird. How could his sister be so hot when she's related to that weirdo? It makes no fucking sense."

Ciel simply rolled his eyes and walked away. He was in his junior year of high school and was beyond used to being called a faggot. Yes, he was openly gay. But god, why did people have to make such a big deal out of it? They acted like every gay person liked a guy no matter what he looked or acted like. If only they knew how much Ciel did not like them. Then, they would know they never needed to be worried about Ciel coming onto them, or whatever.

Hearing the first bell ring, Ciel decided he didn't care and rushed into the building. He was so late! Ciel was not the type of student to EVER be late. No, Ciel was the average good grades, stay on task student. He needed to rush. He ran up the school stairs, went to his locker, and hurried to turn the lock. Once the door was open, Ciel quickly piled in his books for the morning, becoming super annoyed when his binders wouldn't fit into his bag. He swiftly pushed down on his books, swung his backpack around his shoulder and zipped forward, only to collide with something and fall straight down on his butt.

"Oww," Ciel moaned and looked to see what he so carelessly bumped into.

Like magic, his eyes locked with summer sky blue orbs that could belong to only one person.

Alois Trancy.

The late bell rung.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

The loud ringing of the late bell was like a death sentence. _How _could Ciel have gotten himself into this position? His butt still hurt from when he fell, and when he looked up, it seemed like Alois felt the same way too.

"Ouch, my butt hurts!" Alois screamed loudly. He had always been one of the loudest and most straight forward people Ciel had ever met.

"I'm-I'm really sorry," Ciel stuttered and reached for a stray book that had fell out of his bag. He quickly put his things away and hastily stood up.

"Nah man, I'm sorry," Alois muttered. He lifted his head and for the first time it looked like he was really _seeing _Ciel. He slowly studied Ciel up and down, his eyes taking in everything.

"It's fine, I don't mind," Ciel mumbled awkwardly. "I was just going now anyway…"

"No, Ciel wait!" Alois scrambled up and grasped Ciel's arm. "How long has it been since we last talked? It seems like forever."

Ciel's heart jumped where Alois touched him. "Yeah, it's been a while," he replied, not sure if he liked or hated the flutter Alois's closeness caused inside of him.

Alois eyed him up and down again and took a step closer.

Ciel stepped back.

Alois came even closer.

Ciel backed into the lockers.

_ What am I doing? I need to get to class…_

"Isn't that a shame," Alois's smile was coy. His platinum blonde hair was beautifully swept to the side and his blue eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Yeah it is. We could talk some other time but I really need to get to class and…"

Ciel trailed off. Alois leaned lazily in front of him and a smile tugged at his mouth. He wore tight blue jeans and a dark purple shirt. Ciel's eyes peeked under the collar of Alois's shirt and glimpsed a toned chest. Ciel's thoughts dissolved, and just like that, a new thought broke the surface of his mind.

What would it be like to kiss him? Right now.

Alois noticed Ciel studying him. "What?"

\ Ciel blushed knowing Alois had seen Ciel admiring his body. "Uh- nothing. Nothing at all I just have to…"

"Go?"

"Yes I should go," Ciel breathed. "I should definitely go."

On that note, Ciel pushed by Alois and stumbled over his feet. He rushed to class just like that, the same blush stained on his cheeks the whole way there.

_Alois's Point of View_

Alois watched carefully as Ciel scrambled away and almost tripped over his own two feet.

Ciel definitely had changed a little, but not all that much.

He could see that Ciel was very inexperienced and even a little bit nerdy, but Alois thought that was kind of cute. Ciel had always had this very adorable aura about him, but he covered it up well behind his eye patch and baggy clothing. The blunette had gotten taller and his face had matured. It really had been a long time since they had talked, and many things, about both of them had changed.

What Alois liked best, though, was one of the things that didn't change. The innocence. In their junior year of high school, innocence was very scarce and Alois found he wanted that innocence, no _needed _it.

With a grin, Alois turned around and headed toward his own classroom, the wheels in his head turning, thinking about Ciel Phantomhive.

Hey everyone!

I hope you guys are all liking _The Island_ so far.

I sure am enjoying writing it!

Please comment if you like it ^_^ I love hearing what you guys think. It gets me motivated to keep going with the story.

Man, Alois sure is hot. What is he thinking of doing to my little Ciel?

When will Ciel meet Sebastian and Claude?

All these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter! (Or two, I never really know what these characters are going to do!)


	4. Chapter 4

**Ciel's Point of View**

For the rest of the day, Ciel couldn't get his meeting with Alois out of his head. It was so sudden! Nothing like that ever happened to Ciel. Every day he did the same thing; he went to school and went home. He never talked to anyone new, especially not someone like Alois, who was probably one of the most popular kids in Ciel's school, despite his sexual preferences.

Alois was a theatre kid. In every school production it seemed like he had the lead role. His singing was phenomenal and he could dance better than anyone Ciel knew. This got Alois very popular for some reason. The kids at school were nice to him for publicity reasons and because he was a genuinely fun person to be around. But the main reason everyone liked Alois was because of the way he made you feel when he talked to you. Alois was terribly charming. And while it was well known that he liked guys that didn't change the way girls reacted to him. He flirted with girls like he was interested and ended up breaking hearts most of the time. Yet, girls still flocked for his attention and boys took notes from him.

While Ciel on the other hand was awkward and antisocial. He had no idea how to charm people and didn't have any special talents. The differences between them were enormous.

The sharp dinging of the school bell interrupted Ciel's thoughts. Time to pack up. The teacher tried saying something about not packing up before the bell rang but on the second to last day of school, no one really gave a fuck about what the teachers were saying. Normally, Ciel would listen to his teachers but seeing as though his sophomore year was almost over, he decided it was best to just follow the crowd and not stand out even more as the teacher's pet. He had enough of that during the year, and didn't need any more annoying traits on his plate for senior year.

He just wanted to float by.

Unnoticed.

With this thought in mind, Ciel kept his head down as he packed away his World History folder. There wasn't really much learning left in the class but the teacher gave them busy work, GOD FORBID they relaxed a little in class. He stood up and headed towards the door, his next destination being lunch.

The crowded hallway was probably one of the worst parts of school, especially in the mid-June heat. Most boys smelled like body odor and a lot of girls smelled like deodorant covering body odor. Ciel actually wondered if half of these kids ever took showers.

The lunch room was smack in the middle of the school so Ciel had so shove his way out of the crowd to reach the giant metal blue double doors to get to lunch. He cast an annoyed glance behind him and rolled his eyes at the stupidity of his classmates, and then wondered when it began to feel like he disliked everyone he met.

_Probably when they all started being dicks to you…_

Ciel shrugged and moved on. Summer was almost here, and the sweet bliss of not seeing the people in his grade immediately improved his mood. There was one person he would miss though.

"CIELLL!"

Ciel half smiled and half cringed as he approached the table where he sat with his only friend in the whole school, Soma. Soma was a tall Indian boy who had always been very nice to Ciel. Were they close friends? No, Ciel had none of those and they most definitely did not hang out outside of school. Were they nice and tolerant to each other? Yes. Soma was also bullied like Ciel. Soma enrolled in Queen's Guard Academy at the beginning of the year and he arrived claiming that he was a prince and he went around telling everyone this. No one believed him, not even Ciel, but they happened to get along just enough for them to sit at lunch together and keep a somewhat steady conversation.

Ciel sat down at the table and took out his bagged lunch consisting of a sandwich, drink, and chocolate bar. Simple.

"Cielllll, you'll never guess what happened to me this very morning!" Agni exclaimed in his thick Indian accent. He looked very eager and excited to tell his story.

Ciel plastered a smile on his face and tried his best to look interested. "What was it?" His voice was soft but curious.

"My kahn sama Agni has agreed to take me to India again this summer to see the curry contest! Oh I can already smell it now…" Soma blabbered on and on.

Ciel's attention withered and died like a flame in the wind. This was predominantly the reason why Ciel and Soma weren't close. Whenever Soma told a story it just seemed that he went off on so many tangents that Ciel couldn't keep up. Half the time he didn't believe him and the other half he just couldn't keep track of all the names and faces. Likewise, when Ciel told a story, Soma interrupted him constantly and Ciel couldn't get a word in. Still, their friendship was worth it as neither of them had to sit alone and that meant safety in numbers.

"So tell me Ciel, what are you doing this summer?" Soma stopped telling his story and asked suddenly.

Ciel opened his mouth to respond and then shut it. What was he doing for the summer? Probably staying home like most summers. "Nothing much, I'll probably spend most of my time with my family." He left the subject alone after that.

They didn't speak for the rest of the lunch period and Ciel let his thoughts wander. He looked around the cafeteria and cringed at the atmosphere. It was a monstrous size and it was freezing cold. The babbling of the students was so loud that a lot of the time Ciel couldn't even hear what Soma was saying. He took out his lunch and began to eat the sandwich that his mother packed for him every day. It tasted good.

But that was about the only good thing about Ciel's life at the moment. His peaceful meal was promptly interrupted when a hard clump of something hit his head.

"Ouch!" Ciel groaned and reached his hand up to his head. There wasn't a bump or anything, but the impact still hurt. There was a ball of aluminum foil at his feet.

He glanced over his shoulder to see a group of dumb boys laughing and snickering. When they caught him looking, the boys snarled and turned their chairs away. They didn't move their eyes from Ciel, and their cold stares melted his nerves and caused the tension in his body to grow that much more intense.

On the outside, Ciel only rolled his eyes. Having things thrown at him really was nothing new. Yet, it was something he could live without. His eyes continued roaming the cafeteria until he found the subject of most of his thoughts that day. Alois Trancy was sitting at a table made up of predominantly theatre kids. He was listening to some girl talk, but was obviously uninterested. Blonde locks fell into his big blue eyes and he let out a breath of obvious boredom.

Ciel couldn't help but admire how plainly gorgeous he was. He secretly wished that they had been closer, maybe then Ciel would be accepted by the school.

_That would never happen. _His heart sank as he once again realized that his little talent and his facial anomaly would forever prevent him from acquiring any friends of any kind. He almost dropped his eyes but at the same moment, Alois glanced up and the eyes of the two boys locked.

Alois smiled and his array of white teeth glistened. His smirk was mischievous and Ciel's breathing hitched and his heart rate sped up. Blood rushed to his pale cheeks. He knew he must look like an idiot.

The beautiful blonde on the other hand looked the opposite of idiotic. His perfect smile confidently held Ciel in place, until a single wink was sent his way and Alois finally looked away, his face still holding that perfect grimace.

Heart racing, Ciel knew he could sit in the cafeteria no longer. He quickly packed up his lunch, his fingers practically shaking. His bony hand ran through his dark locks, detangling the soft blue strands. Why had Alois gotten to him so bad? No boys in Ciel's school had ever made Ciel feel anything, especially not attraction. The only things they'd ever given him were pain and angst. Things Ciel could live without.

And once he left high school, that's exactly what he planned to do.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, and Ciel managed not to have any more highly awkward encounters with Alois and also managed not to get anything else thrown at his head. He was thankful that most of his honors classes had students that were sensible enough not to pick on him in front of the teachers.

It was the end of the day now, and Ciel was packing up his things. He slowly put away his binder, book, pencil, and his notebook His last class of the day was English Honors. They had just finished their Shakespeare unit and handed in their Hamlet books. Ciel didn't know why, but the story connected with him in some way that he didn't understand. He just really liked the story.

The bell rang and all the students rushed to the door. Ciel stood by his desk and sighed, waiting for the doorway to clear before he left the classroom. He can't help but stare at his shoes, avoiding eye contact with the people around him, not wanting to have to deal with anyone. His skinny legs came into view, covered by dark jeans with holes in them. Ciel cringed as he saw his legs through the fabric. Why did he have to be so small? It only made him a bigger target for the larger boys.

Ciel couldn't help but sigh at these thoughts. Invading his mind, he couldn't stop obsessing over his body and the way other people saw him. Something inside him told him that if he had the perfect body then everyone would like him. Maybe he might even have some real friends.

When he entered the hallway, it was crowded, as usual. Kids pushed and shoved each other and the stench of sweat permeated the air like a thick fog. Adolescents could be so gross. The guys screamed unnecessary curse words and eyed girls like pieces of candy. The girls just giggled and laughed extra loud for attention. Seriously…

All of a sudden, a foot came out of nowhere and Ciel stumbled over it. He didn't fall, but he still looked pretty stupid as he grasped for something to keep him upright.

He tried adjusting his shirt and pushed his hair out from in front of his face as he turned to face whoever had tripped him. _Damnit, I can't get through the day without some fucking jerkoffs bothering me. _

The boys behind him laughed and pointed. Ciel noticed Jason and Mason among the group. They laughed especially loud and made mocking faces at Ciel.

"Iww, the fag touched my foot, I'm tainted!" Yelled a boy that Ciel didn't care enough about to learn his name.

Everyone laughed even louder than before and Ciel inwardly cringed and shrunk away. He was being humiliated and no one in his damn school even cared to glance his way.

All except for two people.

Ciel made out Sebastian Michaelis and Claude Faustus in the crowd. They were almost as popular as Alois, but they hung out in a different crowd. While Alois was more preppy, Claude and Sebastian were more of the cool, silent type. They never participated in bullying Ciel; but then again, they didn't stop it. They both stood in the back of the crowd together, looking like the whole situation made them bored. They were one year older than Ciel, wore all black, and were two of the best looking people in their high school.

"Nooo way…"

Ciel sighed as he noticed some girls eyeing the two junior boys. Their make-up covered eyes were wide and their giggles were loud and obnoxious. Smiling, Ciel noticed Claude giving the girls a grin and a practiced wink. The giggles only grew louder.

Ciel quickly composed himself. He stood straight up and just before he turned around, he locked eyes with Sebastian.

The red orbs of the boy were cool and fiery at the same time. They made Ciel's heart skip a beat and his mind went blank. Pitch black hair was neatly trimmed in the back as longer bangs rested delicately in front of his face, framing the perfect-looking boy. For a moment, Ciel lost all his thoughts, and could only think about Sebastian, and Sebastian alone.

The thought of the boy followed Ciel to his bus as he escaped the crowd, and was on his mind all the way home. Even the annoying yells of the other students and his sisters' constant babbling could not distract him from the look he got from Sebastian.

Ciel was lying on his bed, repeatedly throwing a baseball up and catching it. He was so bored. He had finished his homework already and Elizabeth was out with her friends so that didn't leave Ciel many things to do. Though, she would have to be home soon for dinner. Then they could hang out.

_I guess I could go downstairs with my parents…_

While Ciel loved his parents, very much, he wasn't really in the mood to sit down and talk about college, or whatever academic thing they were interested in. They loved to talk to Ciel about school because he was in all honors classes, and they took a lot of pride in that. They were proud of him, and they loved him. Living with his parents was great, fantastic in fact. They gave Ciel a lot more freedom than most other kids' parents, and they definitely had a healthy respect for each other. It would probably be really nice to have that kind of freedom if Ciel had any friends to spend it with.

Basically, his only friends were Elizabeth and Soma, and him and Soma weren't even that close. They just sat together at lunch. Yet, for some reason, even when everyone else turned away from Ciel, Lizzy was always there. Even if she left Ciel to hang out with her friends, Ciel always knew that he had someone to count on when he thought there was no one to talk to.

But the loneliness of not having someone who really understood him was unbearable sometimes. Lizzy tried to understand, but she didn't see the fault in the mean kids at their school. In her eyes, Ciel's problems could be fixed by being more positive, joining clubs, and talking to more people. Though, however negative it may sound, Ciel knew that the problem was deeper than that. It was something that couldn't just be solved by being more _social_. People just didn't like him.

Ciel sighed and scrambled onto the floor of his room and laid on his back with his hands behind his head. He stopped throwing the baseball. He normally would have read his book, but there was so much noise coming from downstairs that he would have been much too distracted. His parents were playing music from when they were kids, and while Ciel was a fan of classical music, pop from the 70's really didn't appeal to him.

Ciel turned on his side to face his bookshelf and his clothes sagged around him. He was wearing blue plaid boxer shorts and a blue t-shirt from one of his dad's favorite bands… or something like that.

He loved all his books on his shelf, as he was an avid reader. When he looked at them, a rush of feelings from every story filled his mind and he wanted to explode from the emotions. Yes, secretly, Ciel was a bit of a fan boy.

"Ciel, Ciel!" A high pitched voice called from the hallway. It was Lizzy. Ciel wondered what she could be doing home so early. They wouldn't be having dinner for at least thirty minutes.

"Come in!" Ciel shouted and sat up, his blue locks slightly tousled.

Lizzy opened the door. Her blond hair was tied up into a long pony tail, the end curling ever so slightly. Her eyes were bright and always smiled with a sparkle. Being short, only 5'2, and having the pale face of an angel, made Lizzy an appealing person to be around. Ciel understood why everyone liked her. She looked at Ciel and said with a calm, understanding face. "How was school today?"

Ciel groaned and flopped back onto his bed clutching his pillow. He hated when she asked him about school. All he ever had to say were negative things, and he was sure that she got tired of hearing them. "Today was alright. Nothing special."

"Well I'm sure tomorrow will be better…" Lizzy smiled as she gave a classic positive response, one she gave to him almost every day.

"Yeah whatever," Ciel mumbled.

"Anyway, I came up here to tell you that mom and dad want you to come down stairs right now!" She grinned mischievously and immediately pranced away, skipping down the long hallway and heading downstairs.

"Wait why?" Ciel yelled after her. "Elizabeth! Oh come on, you always do this!" Ciel cried. He hated when Lizzy did things like this! Why couldn't she have just told Ciel what was downstairs? Why did she have to leave him like this?

Groggy from laying down so long, Ciel stood up and rubbed his eye. He staggered into the long blue hall way. His bed was at the end on the left, the bathroom being the farthest room from the stairs. Lizzy's room was in the middle and his parents' room was to the left from the top of the stairs. Ciel cautiously swayed down the stairs.

What he saw when he got to the landing of the stairs was the last thing he ever expected to set his eye on.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ciel couldn't believe his eyes. He pinched himself, rubbed his eyes, and blinked numerous times before he accepted reality. He started to sweat and believed he might actually faint.

Sebastian Michaelis, Claude Faustus, Alois Trancy, and their families, were all at the base of Ciel's stairs.

"Uh.. Uh..." Ciel stuttered and looked at everyone through the banister. His eyes roamed the room next to his staircase wildly. Everyone's eyes were on him and he felt suffocated by the stares. He especially felt uncomfortable when Alois, Claude, and Sebastian couldn't take their eyes off of him. Their gazes, each a different miraculous color, burned Ciel with a fiery feeling. A warmth that wanted to consume him, and he didn't know why. Their gazes were hungy, and if their eyes had mouths, they would have devoured him already.

"Ciel, great, now that you're down here we can announce the news!" Shouted Ciel's mom from the kitchen. She was a short woman with bouncy curly hair and a sophisticated but loving face. Ciel snapped out of his trance and focused on his mother. She walked out of the kitchen looking radiant, but when she saw Ciel her pearly white smile instantly disappeared. Her eyes, like everyone else's became glued to Ciel. "Um, honey..." Ciel's mom said quietly and began to blush. She pointed to her skirt and motioned that Ciel look down.

_What could she mean?_

Ciel glanced down and his cheeks immediately turned bright red.

He had forgotten to put on pants! As crazy as it sounded, it was true. There he was, looking really stupid, in his blue pajama shirt and plaid boxer shorts, in front of everyone. In front of boys from his school.

Ciel freaked out, "Oh, uh please excuse me!" Ciel put his hands in front of his face and rushed back up the stairs. He bolted down the hallway, rushed into his room, and slammed the door harder than he intended.

He leaned against the door and sagged to the floor. His face was surely beat red and his palms were sweating. Ciel could not believe that these people had just saw him in his underwear. Even thinking about it made Ciel want to disappear. How was he supposed to know that there would be a group of people downstairs waiting for him? And no wonder they were staring at him! They were probably all taken back that they had to lay eyes on his scrawny lower body. How could he face them all again?

He couldn't. The only answer was that Ciel simply could not face any of those people again. Minus his family of course, they'd seen Ciel in worse conditions.

But the other boys? Oh no, that would never work. Sebastian and Claude probably thought he was the weirdest kid ever, and he wouldn't be surprised if when he went into school tomorrow they bullied him mercilessly. And Alois? He had shown a minor interest in Ciel that morning, but he highly doubted it was there any longer. Unless the blonde liked him…

_No, that would never happen. A boy like him could never like someone like me. I'm too plain, and he shines like all the colors of the rainbow. _Ciel groaned. _But wait, wasn't there something mom wanted to tell me?_

That's right. Before Ciel had run upstairs, his mom was going to mention something important to him and everyone else. Now, because of his stupidity, all the people downstairs had to wait for him once again.

Ciel did not want to be humiliated any further, so he jumped up and threw on the closest pair of shorts he could find. He found them on his floor; they were black shorts and they fit snugly, seeing as they were bought a little more than a year ago.

_Well, they will have to do._

Finally, Ciel crept back downstairs to find whatever news his mom had in store for him and everyone else.

"It's a "family trip."

_A what?_

"That's right, a family trip," Ciel's father stated and smiled down at his mother. "Or in this case a friends trip, seeing as we're all not really related." His dad chuckled at his own joke. So did the rest of the parents and Lizzy. Ciel, Alois, Sebastian, and Claude were silent.

Everyone was gathered in Ciel's blue living room. Almost all of the rooms in Ciel's house were blue. Some people were sitting, but most were standing. Everyone awaited more of the news about the trip.

Ciel sat on the single step that led into the room. He tried his best not to stare at the raven haired boys sitting on the long couch across from him, or at the blonde boy who was switching between playing with Ciel's cat and staring at Claude. Sebastian almost looked like he was going to join Alois with the cat, but then obviously thought better of it.

"What do you mean by trip? Where would we be going?" Alois stepped forward from the back of the room and leaned lazily against a chair. He swept his blonde hair to the side and looked at Ciel's dad quizzically. It seemed that none of the boys had been informed on this trip until this very moment. If Lizzy had known, she was very good at hiding her surprise, but not her happiness. Ciel was sure that she couldn't wait to do all sorts of bonding activities, or whatever else girls liked to do. Plus she'd be surrounded by boys; something Ciel noticed at school made every girl giddy.

"I'm happy you asked Alois," Alois's dad stepped forward to stand next to Ciel's dad. He clapped him on the back and smiled at everyone. He had the same blonde hair as Alois but his eyes were brown. "We will be going to an island. It is a very beautiful island with mountains, rivers, and forests. There is a resort there with a house that we will be renting out and staying at. We will be splitting the bill, of course, and there will be six bedrooms. We can talk about sleeping arrangements later."

"Think of it as a summer surprise!" Claude's mom yelled with a smile. Or maybe it was Sebastian's mom. Ciel couldn't tell for they looked a lot alike.

Everyone was silent for a moment. The parents were smiling and looking for reactions from the kids. Lizzy was smiling and giving Ciel excited glances that were difficult for him to return.

_A vacation? With them?_

Ciel could not believe what he was hearing. How would this go down? After his encounter with Alois the other day, and then his embarrassment on the stairs, he didn't think he could face any of them again. Staying in a house on a resort island would not be easy. Also the thought of being alone with the three handsome boys, and potentially sharing a room with one of them, made Ciel blush and even brought some thoughts into his mind that he was embarrassed to even consider.

"Why are we doing this?"

Ciel turned to see Sebastian staring at the parents. "I mean," Sebastian continued, "what motivated you guys to set up this vacation?" Sebastian's jet black hair fell messily in his face and his body was awkwardly shifted away from the group. His body was long and lanky, his muscles shown easily under is form fitting black t-shirt. He was the polar opposite of Alois, who faced the group and wanted attention. Ciel noted that Sebastian was also very polite and strait forward with his question, even if he was quiet.

"Well," Sebastian's dad took the baton. "Seeing as though you all used to be such good friends, and we used to be too," he gestured to the other adults. "We feel that it will be a great way to get re-acquainted with each other."

Sebastian nodded like he understood and all the boys seemed to once again become wrapped up in their thoughts. It had been years since any of them had mentioned their past friendship. When the four were young they had all been inseparable. Sebastian shared a fleeting glance with Claude and looked back down at the floor. Claude and Sebastian were the only ones out of the four boys that had stayed close. They were like brothers. They even looked similar. Their hair and bodies almost mirrored each other. The differences were that Claude's face was more angular while Sebastian's was softer but still chiseled and strong. Also, Claude wore glasses to frame his golden eyes. Sebastian's unusual redish eyes were not covered by anything. Ciel was tempted to look into those eyes for hours, and he didn't know why.

Ciel spoke up before his thoughts could get the best of him, "how long is the trip going to be?"

His father responded. "About a month, maybe more, maybe less, because there are so many things to do and we are renting the house so we can have it for a long time."

A month? Could he last that long?

"We're really excited for this trip," Ciel's mom continued with a smile. "We hope that you boys can all get re-acquainted and become the best of friends."

The boys exchanged uneasy glances. Alois gave Ciel a mischievous grin but he was really checking out Claude the most. He eyed the stoic boy up and down with an appreciative smile and ignored Sebastian completely. Ciel almost chuckled at his openness. As Ciel was smiling, he looked up and his eyes locked with Sebastian. The boy gave him a small, and handsome, smile.

Ciel melted. Sebastian was so good looking and he had just smiled at Ciel. He blushed and looked away, his sneakers suddenly becoming fascinating.

Lizzy came up behind Ciel. "Won't this be fun?!" She wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"Uh… y-yeah it will be," Ciel looked at her and gave her a shy grin.

She smiled back while giving him one last squeeze and then unwrapping her arms. She walked over to the couch and sat down on the love-seat. Alois's mom started talking to her and complementing her hair and perfect curls which had begun to fall out of her ponytail. Lizzy was extra loud and she smiled a lot, being uncannily kind to the mother.

"Alright then, everyone sit down and get comfortable," Ciel's mom smiled and gestured to their house. "We can talk about this more over dinner, but until then sit or go anywhere you would like."

"Why?" Ciel asked loudly. Then when everyone's heads turned to face him, he instantly felt guilty because he sounded like he didn't want anyone in his house. That wasn't it, he just was so nervous around these boys that he lost control of himself. He didn't understand how their parents could just throw something so big on them like this. Did they think the boys would just immediately become best friends? If that was the case then they were sure to be disappointed because no one made friends with Ciel, not even when they were forced to.

"Our friends are staying for dinner Ciel," his mom replied sternly. She obviously was embarrassed and insulted by her sons' behavior. "Don't be rude, and next time, throw on some clean shorts, those need to be washed." She eyed some dirt stains on his dirty black shorts.

Ciel blushed again as everyone else in the room chuckled and he gave his mom a "how-could-you-say-that-in-front-of-all-these-people" look. Ciel even thought he saw Sebastian glance down at his waist, but dismissed the thought swiftly.

She smiled, and Ciel knew she had said it to teach him a lesson about arriving late when they had guests. Ciel groaned. Mothers could be so difficult sometimes.

Still, Ciel knew that in order for his mom to stop embarrassing him, he would need to make up for it. So he then did something that he never expected himself to do in all his life.

The bluenette approached the handsome raven haired boys and gestured to Alois at the same time. He could feel their stairs piercing him like knives. Electricity seemed to crackle in the air around the four of them.

"Would you guys want to…? I don't know… hang out in my room?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Ciel stopped short. Now what was he going to do? He had to entertain three _very _good looking boys in his house, even worse in his room, and he had no idea what to do. He wanted to be normal. He wanted to have his friends up in his room to hang out like they used to. Ciel hadn't been normal since _that day._

Alois was the first to answer him. "Sure, let's head up. All these adults listen to is awful music and they're all asking me about school," Alois glanced at Ciel and whispered to him, "I fucking hate when adults do that." Shooting Ciel a wink, Alois headed towards the stairs.

Ciel half chuckled, half cringed, and then turned around to see Sebastian and Claude getting up and following Alois to the stairs.

_I guess that's that then…_

Ciel smiled to himself and followed the taller boys. Maybe the night wouldn't be so bad after all.

_**Sebastian's P.O.V**_

Sebastian followed Ciel, Alois, and Claude up the blue carpeted stairs of Ciel's house. He had no idea what to expect, and was dumbfounded that he was even in this position when an hour ago he was just sitting on his couch reading. How much had changed up these stairs that he used to know so well? How much had changed since _that day_?

_Ciel, what's different now?_

Sebastian wanted nothing more than to ask that very question. Ciel walked a little bit in front of Sebastian. The boy's blue tinted hair swayed at his neck, grazing the soft pale skin below his ears. His tiny shoulders were covered by a faded blue t-shirt. Sebastian could see the small muscles it covered as it swayed back and forth. Plus, it didn't help that Ciel's tight shorts showed his every curve. It made Sebastian swoon and he felt the urge to reach out and touch the younger boy.

_Woah. Where did that thought come from? _Sebastian confused himself. He never thought about stuff like that. The only person who he'd ever confided his feelings in was Claude. Claude, being gay himself, understood Sebastian's confusion with his own sexual preferences, but was too afraid of what people would think of him to come out of the closet. This, Sebastian understood. He admired people like Alois and Ciel for coming out and being brave enough to be themselves. Sebastian didn't know if he could ever admit to anyone about how he really felt. It was too private.

At the top of the stairs, Ciel suddenly turned around and faced the three boys who he had sped past. "Sorry, I shouldn't have forced you to come up here. We can go back down if you want…" Ciel looked really shy and his cheeks were the color of cherry blossoms. He seemed as if he wanted nothing more than for the boys to agree with him and go back downstairs.

After Ciel saw the look the other boys gave him, he sighed and gave in. The others wanted to see his room. Sebastian couldn't help but be curious as to what had changed.

Ciel stepped up a stair. "I mean if you guys really want to see…"

"Yeah, we do," Sebastian replied for the group.

Ciel smiled shyly and locked eyes with Sebastian. "Okay."

He turned around Sebastian once again found himself admiring the boy. Gosh, what was wrong with him today?

They all climbed to the top of the stairs and paced down the hallway. Ciel had the final room. It had a blue, closed door.

That's when it hit Sebastian: He was about to go into the room where Ciel lost his eye.

Sebastian stopped as everyone else entered.

Ciel turned around, "What?"

Sebastian could tell Ciel knew why he had stopped walking, and he was annoyed, maybe even insulted.

_Uh, it's hard for me to go into the room where you lost your eye._

Ok, how rude would that be? Sebastian may have been a stubborn boy, but he knew his place. In fact, his manners were exceptional.

"Nothing. Something I meant to tell my mom." Sebastian waved his hand forward. "I'm coming."

Ciel hesitated, like he knew what Sebastian was thinking while Alois and Claude watched from the room. Finally, Ciel nodded.

Sebastian went in.

The first thing Sebastian saw was the mirror. The mirror stretched along the whole wall, and the doors slid open and closed to reveal a closet behind the sliding mirror doors. You walk in and there's your body, immediately staring back at you.

Sebastian didn't know what he expected. The whole place draped in ash? Horrible organ music and wailing voices? But Ciel's room was completely ordinary. The room was regular sized with a bed in the corner. His wooden dresser was in front of the bed and there was a desk on the opposite wall. Besides the mirror, the biggest thing Sebastian noticed were the books. Rows and rows lined the walls.

"Wow," Claude said while scanning the books. "You have some awesome books. I'd kill."

"They're a pain," Ciel replied. "They take up so much space."

Sebastian was about to ask why Ciel didn't just get rid of the books if they bothered him so much; then he saw the look of pride on his face and decided not to. Alois asked for him anyway.

While they talked, Sebastian's eyes scanned the room. He was like that; an observer. He liked to stay back and watch things before he did anything. A lot of times he came off cold, when really he was only trying to find the simplest path to do things on. On top of one of the book shelves, there was a row of old family photos. Sebastian's eyes tried to avoid them, until he caught sight of Elizabeth, then Ciel posing in some holiday picture.

Ciel was skinny, with a big, cute, grin on his face. He had no eye patch.

"That's a nice picture." Sebastian jumped and turned to see Ciel, Alois, and Claude all standing behind him. Sebastian had been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard them approach.

"Yeah, it's nice." Sebastian used Ciel's word. He didn't like to be caught during his observations.

"You think so?" Claude chimed in. "You look so different, Ciel."

"That's because of my eye," Ciel replied bluntly. Everyone flinched.

Trying to give him a chance to talk about his eye, Sebastian said, "Does it feel different? You know, now that it's been so long since the accident?"

Ciel stared hard at the floor. "Honestly? It seems weird. Like it just happened yesterday, even though it's been years." There was a long pause until Ciel said abruptly, "It's not actually something I want to talk about. I hope that's okay…"

"It's fine, Ciel," Claude said and moved close to Ciel. He boldly put his hand on his shoulder and looked down at Ciel with a questionable look in his eyes.

Sebastian could already feel the thread between the four of them reforming. Slowly, but surely. Everyone was lost in their thoughts for a while, and Sebastian's mind floated back to _that day…_

_Claude, Alois, Sebastian, and Ciel were all playing in Ciel's room. They were all young, and playing with action figures. They might have been around six and seven years old. Ciel and Alois had their characters fighting while Sebastian and Claude whispered to each other. Claude spoke, "Wanna try something cool guys?"_

_Ciel and Alois looked at Claude, their eyes round. They were one year younger then the two raven haired boys, and they were the smaller boy's idols. "Like what?" Alois asked._

_"Our friend showed us," Sebastian said. He gestured to Claude who pulled out an old, cracked lighter. "This."_

_The younger boys stared in wonder. "What does it do?" Ciel questioned._

_"It sets things on… fire!" Sebastian exclaimed, excited with their item._

_"Can we try it?" Alois asked and grasped for the lighter. When Claude pulled it away, Alois frowned and crossed his arms._

_"'Cause it's Ciel's house, he gets to do it," Claude explained to Alois. Alois frown deepened and he looked at Ciel with malice._

"_Are you sure Claude?" Ciel asked._

_"I'm sure."_

_"Okay," Ciel took his word for it. He ran out of his room and into his mom's. He grabbed the first candle he saw and rushed it back to his friends. Ciel set the candle down on his floor and Claude explained to Ciel how to work the lighter. The gas inside the device leaked ever so slowly out of the bottom and onto the candle and floor. None of the boys noticed. Ciel crouched over the candle, positioned his hand on the lighter, and counted down from three._

_"Three…two… one…" Ciel lit the flame and touched the candle._

_That's when the explosion happened._

_The candle exploded in Ciel's face and all the boys cried out._

_The rest of the memory was a blur. The boys were rushed out of the house and the fire department was called. Only Ciel suffered a wound._

_Right on his eye._

Sebastian snapped out of the memory to hear a loud sigh coming from Alois. He was sprawled on Ciel's floor and he was thrashing his limbs back and forth. His hair was meshed on his head and his purple shirt had risen to show his exposed stomach. The skin there was pale and unmarred by any scars. Alois looked like a little prince from a fairy tale.

But the boy seriously annoyed Sebastian.

He liked the quiet ones. Sebastian liked boys like… like Ciel.

**Ciel's P.O.V.**

" 'It's not actually something I want to talk about," Alois whined, mimicking Ciel and laughing. He was obviously bored and had nothing better to do than mock Ciel.

Ciel still felt slapped. He was reminded that Alois, and the other boys, were very popular and different from Ciel. People like them didn't like Ciel, nobody liked Ciel. This was all a joke. They didn't really want to be here with him. They just wanted to trick him, everyone always did.

Suddenly, Alois sat up. "Was I just being an asshole?" He asked Ciel directly. His voice was quiet, worried. Like he was coming out of a deep sleep and not sure of what was happening around him. Not sure what he did.

"Kind of," Ciel replied, annoyed.

He nodded. "I do that sometimes. Bad habit. I'm sorry."

He stood up and towered over the sitting Ciel. Ciel bit back a gasp as he felt Alois's body heat.

Alois started to say something but was interrupted.

"Boys!"

It was Ciel's mom.

"Dinner's ready! Come down if you want to eat!"

Alois stopped talking and his gaze darted to the door. The three standing boys smiled and they all rushed toward the door, food the only thing on their minds.

Ciel's stomach growled. Yeah, he could use some food.

Alois, Claude, and Sebastian rushed out of Ciel's room ahead of him. That was alright with Ciel though, he needed to be alone. Having those boys in his room for so long was overwhelming; he didn't think he could do it for a month. They were all so different. Alois was loud, when the rest preferred quiet. Ciel liked to read and study he didn't think any of the other boys enjoyed that. Actually, no one enjoyed that. Ciel sighed and felt a blush crawling up his neck. Why was he so different?

Realizing everyone was probably waiting for him, Ciel started down the stairs. Every step of the way it felt harder to keep going. He wished his parents understood that he wanted to be alone. Not really alone, but just not near these people.

When Ciel the landing of the stairs, everything was just the same, as if his world hadn't just been infiltrated by three gorgeous men. The coatrack in the foyer looked as though it was about to topple over under the weight of everyone's jackets. The smell of dryer sheets and fresh linen made the house smell of intense clean. The blue couches in the living room to his right were faded from the afternoon sun that bled in through the huge double windows. Stacks of miscellaneous magazines covered the coffee table, informative or favorite pages marked with a post-it note or bookmarked with other pieces of paper. Ciel's cat was weaving in between the feet of the guests meowing obnoxiously.

Ciel's mom and the other women were filling water glasses and setting the feast of food around the table while the fathers carried in extra chairs to fit in the enormous group of people into their moderately sized dining room. Ciel watched them go about the room, laughing and talking like old times.

Unlike their sons, who stood to the side feeling terribly awkward and out of place.

Ciel's dad looked up with a smile, and his thick circular glasses slipped down his nose. "Welcome down boys! We hope you weren't waiting too long, your mothers have prepared the food as fast as possible," he grinned again and jokingly glanced at Ciel's mother who playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

Ciel gave him a small grin in response while the other boys looked away, admiring the rest of the house.

Despite the coolness between the boys, the house was warm and full of intoxicating food scents. He inhaled and could instantly picture every dished being prepared hot in the oven. Italian food, Ciel's favorite and his parents' specialty. His mother must have been preparing for a while before everyone arrived.

Ciel's mom then came out and smiled at the boys. "I hope you all have brought your appetites."

Sebastian jerked his thumb at a stoic Claude. "Be careful what you wish for."

This made everyone laugh and, in good spirits, all the families took a seat in the grand table adorned with more food than Ciel thought he'd ever seen. The parents all took their seats in the area closest to the kitchen while the younger boys and Lizzy all sat on the far side. Ciel sat himself between Lizzy and Alois, across from Sebastian. Claude was next to Sebastian and across from Alois at the end of the table.

As soon as everyone was finished finding their seating, the Phantomhives began passing around the food at opposite ends of the table. Every time Ciel passed something to Alois he'd smirk or wink. It was almost becoming a game for Ciel to guess which he'd do.

Once he finished passing everything and the flurry of arms stopped, Ciel finally could focus on his meal and not his emotions. He let the conversation dull into the back of his mind.

"Did you hear Sebastian, Ciel?"

"Wha… what?" Ciel jerked his head up and looked at Elizabeth who had been poking him.

"Sebastian's been asking you a question for like, three hours Ciel," Lizzy said and playfully rolled her eyes. She reminded Ciel of his mother.

"Oh no I didn't hear, I'm sorry," Ciel looked Sebastian in his red orbs. "What did you say?"

"I asked you what your favorite book on your shelf is," Sebastian smiled almost sheepishly. "You have a lot of books, I'm sure one must be your favorite." The taller boy stared into Ciel, and he got the feeling that the older boy wanted to ask something else but refrained from doing so.

Ciel almost couldn't speak through the tension of his gaze. "Oh yeah, I guess I do," He grabbed the back of his neck out of habit. "I guess my favorite book would have to be _A Monster Calls _by Patrick Ness. It's really good."

The older boy nodded as if contemplating Ciel's answer. Alois let out a sigh to show that he was bored by the conversation of books. Ciel managed not to roll his eyes; at least they were trying to make conversation.

The four boys then ate in silence for a bit longer. Sebastian chewed his food thoughtfully, Claude intensely, and Alois slowly. None of them made eye contact or attempted to try and talk about something new.

Once the boys had almost finished eating the food on their first plate and were waiting for seconds, Sebastian's mother turned to look at them. She was a tall woman with a flat chest and long black hair. She was actually quite pretty behind the glasses she wore and the motherly clothes. Sebastian definitely got his looks from his mother, who smiled at the boys. "So, what are you boys planning on doing for school tomorrow during that last day of school party thing?"

On the last day of school at Queen's Guard Academy, there was a party in the afternoon where the students got to walk around and basically do whatever they wanted. Within school rules of course.

Her response was four blank stares.

Sebastian was the first to recover to his mother, "Claude and I were just going to walk around, I guess."

She nodded and turned in the other direction. "What about you boys?" She kindly asked Alois and Ciel.

Ciel stuttered and began to say something when Alois interrupted.

"Ugh you wouldn't believe it; none of my friends are coming tomorrow! They're all ditching and my mom is making me go." Alois pouted and glared at his mother. He crossed his arms over his slim chest.

"Maybe you boys should all meet up then."

This statement provoked more silence and stares.

Sebastian's mother stared her son down and then looked pointedly at the rest of the group. "It would be nice for you boys to get to know each other, seeing as though we'll be vacationing together." She looked them all in the eyes, her tone clipped. "Meet up tomorrow, you might just have some fun," and with that, Sebastian's mother tuned around and inserted herself into the adult conversation.

This left the boys to look at each other awkwardly again.

Ciel couldn't stand the silence between them. It was as if each of the four were placed in a glass box where they all had to stare at each other and were unable to do anything about it.

Suddenly, Ciel couldn't take the silence any longer. "So do you guys want to do it? Do you want to meet up tomorrow?" He looked down at his lap.

There was no way any of them would want to hang out with Ciel, especially not on the last day of school. Sebastian and Claude would never want to be seen with Ciel, and Alois would try to find some other group before hanging out with the likes of him. They were all so much cooler than Ciel. He deserved to have his last day spent alone, like every other day.

"I'm in."

Ciel whipped his head up and turned to look at Alois. The blonde boy was biting his lip and looking at the other three boys with a glint in his eyes. Or maybe he was just looking at Ciel. Or maybe just Claude. Ciel couldn't tell who the boys' dangerous stare was directed at.

"Really?" Ciel could hear the desperation in his own voice. Pathetic.

"Yeah I don't see why not," Alois smiled, showing off his almost cat-like teeth. "I mean his mother's right; we should get to know each other. Very well."

Ciel didn't know what Alois meant by that last statement but he didn't care. Alois actually wanted to be with them tomorrow!

"That's true," Claude added.

"Where do you want to meet?" Sebastian asked.

"How about under the bridge?"

"Works for us."

Ciel couldn't believe his ears. The three boys who had been haunting the back of Ciel's mind for years all wanted to spend time with him tomorrow. He wiped his sweaty palms on his legs and added to the group, "I'll be there."

The other boys gave him small grins of approval and they all went back to eating.

Time went fast after that, and Ciel even realized he was having fun. Alois soon started making a show of pretending to throw a meatball at Lizzy, who screamed and then laughed hysterically. Sebastian tried his best to encourage Claude to talk, who chimed in every once in a while but mostly stayed silent. And someone was playing footsie with Ciel under the table. He met Alois's blue eyes. He winked, giving Ciel butterflies.

There was something strange about this gathering. It was the most people Ciel had had in his house since before the fire. It was warm and _alive_ and a very special night.

He wouldn't forget it for a lifetime.


End file.
